Snap-on support for price tag holder



V. RIZZI SNAP-ON SUPPORT FOR PRICE TAG HQLDER Sept. 30, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 29, 1967 I NV ENTOR. Vwfor z BY Sept. 30, 1969 v zz SNAP-0N SUPPORT FOR PRICE TAG HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 29, 1967 United States Patent 3,469,813 SN AP-ON SUPPORT FOR PRICE TAG HOLDER Victor Rizzi, 270 Miller Ave., Gilroy, Calif. 95020 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 588,633,

Sept. 26, 1966. This application Nov. 29, 1967, Ser.

Int. Cl. A47f /00, 13/00; G09f 3/20 U.S. Cl. 248--475 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A snap-on fastener related to a price tag or card holder to fit and hold the latter on wire rack shelving. A yieldable snap-on feature coordinated with a price card holder for supporting the latter on standard wire rack refrigerator shelving.

Background The most common form of price card or tag holder is a molding strip having a recessed front face bordered by upper and lower grooved edges for receiving and holding a price tag or card in place thereon. Such price tag or card holders have heretofore been made of wood, metal and other suitable material. It has heretofore been the practice to secure these price tag moldings onto the front edge of wooden shelving by the use of nails, screws and sometimes adhesives. When it comes to wire rack type shelving such as is usually employed in refrigerators and cooling cabinets the mode of securing price tags and supports to such wire racks becomes a problem. Various forms of hooks, rings and sleeves as well as tabs have been employed with little success. They often fall off, are displaced when customers scrape bottles and articles over them; or they become loosened and detached leaving the shelving with improper marking or pricing. Thus the discriminating and price conscious customers avoid selecting articles which they might otherwise choose to purchase due to unknown costs.

Statement of invention The present invention has as one object to provide a simple yet effective means for applying and securing a price card holder to wire rack type shelving.

It is another object of this invention to provide a snapon support for a price tag or card holder. This object contemplates the provision of a snap-on support adapted to fit standard wire rack shelving.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a snap-on support so associated with a price tag or card holder as to be coordinated therewith to secure the latter in a firmly fixed condition on the front bar of wire rack type shelving.

It is a still further object to provide a price card holder and snap-on support therefor formed of a plastic material of yieldable characteristics whereby flexing of the unit affords a spring-like action in the structure facilitating attachability and removability of the unit relative to standard wire rack shelving.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a reading of the following description and claims in the light of the accompanying two sheets of drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the rear side of a price tag or card holder showing the snap-on fastener thereof for securing the same to wire rack shelving which is fragmentarily illustrated.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of a modified form of the snap-on fastener in relation to the card holder.

FIG. 3 is a section through FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3 therein.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of a portion of wire rack shelving showing the front face of the preferred form of price card holder secured thereto.

FIG. 5 is a section through FIG. 4 taken along line 5-5 thereof.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the card holder of FIGS. 4 and 5 showing the same from the rear and taken along line 66 therein.

FIG. 7 is a section through the mid-portion of FIG. 6 showing the snap-on fastener thereof in relation to the wire rack shelving.

FIG. 8 is a section through the snap-on fastener only of FIG. 7 and taken along line 88 therein.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the card holder of FIGS. 4 through 8 inverted and alone.

Detailed description Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show the invention in its simplest form. FIGS. 4 through 9 show the preferred form which embodies the basic elements of the invention.

At the outset it should be noted that the shelving for which the present invention is best suited consists of standard wire rack shelving 10 extensively used in refrigerators, coolers and other forms of merchandise displays employed in self-service market places where customers select the articles they choose to purchase.

The shelving 10 usually consists of a round stock peripheral frame 11 to which bars 12 of lesser diameter are welded in spaced parallel relation. The bars 12 extend from a front bar 13 of the frame toward a similar bar at the rear so that articles supported can be glided toward the front of the shelving. The spaced bars 12 allow circulation of cold air vertically through the shelving and the articles supported thereon.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4 the present invention is embodied in a price card holder 15 adapted to be secured to the front edge of the shelving 10. The price card holder 15 consists of a front plate 16 having a recessed fore face 17 bordered by upper and lower beads 18 and 19 respectively formed with inset grooves for receiving and holding a printed price tag or card 20 on the recessed front face 17 in a conventional manner.

The invention contemplates the provision of a price tag holder and means for securing the same to the front edge of wire-rack shelving. To this end the card holder 15 of the present invention is provided with a snap-on feature 21 and is made of a plastic material such as polyethylene whereby the snap-0n element 21 is yieldable, yet resilient to return toward its normal shape for gripping a rod or wire element such as the bars 12 and 13 of the shelving 10 aforementioned.

The price tag holder 15 can be made of any suitable material and combined with the resilient snap-on element 21. However, for best results and from a standpoint of economy in manufacture the holder 15 and snap-on element 21 are preferably a molded product formed of a common material such as polyethylene.

In its simplest form (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) the snap-0n element 21 consists of a body 22 of resilient material extending rearwardly from the card holder 15. Several such elements 21 may be employed, but: in a single price tag holder, as shown in the drawings, one snap-on element 21 is suificient to secure the holder to the shelving 10.

The body 22 of the element 21 is formed to provide transversely disposed grooves 23 and 24 adapted to receive one of the rods 12 and the front bar 13 of the shelving 10. The groove 23 extends parallel to the back face 25 of the card holder 15 and is dimensioned to fit the front bar 13 for receiving the same. In other words, the after portion 26 of the body 22 is spaced from the back face 25 of the holder 15 a distance comparable to the diameter of the front bar 13 for frictionally embracing the same.

The after portion 26 of the body 22 has the groove 24 formed therein perpendicular to the groove 23. This groove 24 has a bight portion 27 struck on a radius such as to fit the groove 24 to the diameter of one of the rods 12 of the wire rack shelving 10. The groove 24 is of greater depth than the diameter of the rod 12 and has side walls 28-29 the inner surfaces of which have inwardly curved contours to provide side wall detents spaced at a lesser distance than the diameter of the rod 12 or the bight zone 30 of the groove 24. By this arrangement the side walls 28 and 29 which are resilient are caused to spread apart when the detents thereon engage the rod 12. As the body 22 is pressed against the rod the resilient Walls 28 and 29 spread until the detents thereof pass the rod 12 whereupon the walls 28 and 29 return to their normal condition in snap-like action as the rod 12 becomes nearly circumscribed and embraced within the bight zone 30 of the groove 24 in the body 22. This secures the card holder 15 in place upon the front face of the shelving 10.

In the modified form shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the principle is the same except that the snap-on element 21 is inverted so that the card holder 15 extends above the level of the shelving instead of being suspended therefrom as shown in FIG. 1.

Refer now to FIGS. 4 through 9 which shows the preferred form now being commercially produced and sold. In FIGS. 4 through 9, like parts are designated with like numerals with prime exponents with respect to the simple form of FIGS. 1 through 3. In this preferred form the card holder 15 is formed integrally with the snap-on element 21' of a molded plastic material which is resilient yet firm.

In the preferred form of FIGS. 4 to 9 inclusive the snap-on element 21' is a part of the body portion 22' which in this form is formed as a part of a flange 32 which extends rearwardly from the upper head 18' of the card holder 15'. This flange 32 has a shelf engaging surface 33 disposed .at right angles to the back face 25' of the card holder 15. The opposite surface 34 of the flange 32 slants downwardly and rearwardly to an apex edge 35. Thus it will be seen that the flange 32 is wedge shaped in cross section (FIGS. and 7) so that merchandise on the shelving bars 12 can be glided over the upper surface 34 of the flange 32 without snagging.

The after portion 26 of the body 22 in the preferred embodiment consists of a pair of tubular members 38 and 39 mounted on pedestals 36 and 37 suspended from the under surface 33 of the flange 32. These tubular members 38 and 39 extend parallel to each other and in spaced relation to provide a groove 24 therebetween. The adjacent curved side walls of the members 38 and 39 thus provide a pair of detents 28' and 29', respectively in the groove 24' (FIGS. 6 and 8). These detents 28'29' are spaced from each other a distance less than the diameter of one of the rods 12 and the adjoining quadrants 40-41 of the tubular members 38 and 39 are disposed to have tangent engagement with a rod 12 disposed in the zone 30' between them. The tubular members 38-39 are resilient such that upon pressure thereof down upon a rod 12 they spread sufficiently for passage of the rod into the zone 30. The rod 12 thus assumes tangent relation to the lower surface 33 of the flange 32 while each of the tubular members 38 and 39 likewise have tangent engagement with the rod 12. This secures the flange 32 flat down upon the several adjacent rods 12 of the shelving as best seen in FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 7 it will be noted that the forward end 42 of the tubular members 38 and 39 as well as their respective pedestals 36 and 37 are spaced from the back face 25' of the holder a distance comparable to the diameter of the front bar 13 of the shelving. This forms a groove 23' perpendicular to the groove 24' for frictionally embracing the front bar 13 of the shelving 10.

The card holder 15' is thus quickly and easily attached to and removed from the front edge of the shelving 10.

While I have described my new card holder and snapon securing means therefor in specific detail, it will be appreciated that the same may be susceptible to variation, alteration and/ or modification without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention therein.

1 claim:

1. Means for removably securing a price tag holder to the front edge of wire rack refrigerator shelving and the like of the type having a rod frame supporting spaced parallel rods from front to rear rods thereof; said securing means comprising in combination:

(1) a wedge shaped flange of resilient material extending rearwardly from the back face of said price tag holder and adapted to overlie several of said spaced parallel rods of such shelving;

(2) a pair of parallel resilient tubular members extending shelfwise from said flange in spaced relation rearwardly from the back face of said price tag holder a distance to provide a first groove for receiving and embracing the front rod of the wire rack frame; and

(3) said pair of parallel resilient tubular members being spaced from each other to provide a second groove transversely of said first named groove for receiving and securing one of said spaced rods of the shelving in snap-like action.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1 in which said wedge shaped flange extends rearwardly from the upper edge of said price tag holder and tapers rearwardly therefrom whereby merchandise on said shelving can be glided over the upper surface of said flange without snagging the latter.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the pair of parallel resilient tubular members extending shelfwise from said flange are spaced from each other and said flange whereby the latter and each of said resilient tubular members tangently engage said one of the spaced parallel rods of the shelving disposed therein.

4. The device in accordance with claim 1 in which said parallel resilient tubular members have their inner peripheral surfaces spaced from each other a distance slightly less than the diameter of one of said spaced rods to provide oppositely disposed detents within said second named groove for snap-on fit over said one of said spaced rods.

5. The device in accordance with claim 4 in which said parallel tubular members have internal quadrants of their peripheral surfaces disposed for tangent engagement with said one of said spaced rods when the latter is disposed in said second named groove and in tangent engagement with the rearwardly extending wedge shaped flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 436,403 9/1890 Dabbs. 2,547,239 4/1951 Walker. 2,053,124 9/1936 Banks 248-488 2,665,103 1/1954 Flora 248-314 3,287,841 11/1966 Spragg 40-308 3,324,853 6/1967 Czorny 24-257 XR ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner ABRAHAM FRANKEL, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

